Have you been dreaming about your 2022 travel goals? If so, consider adding Mexico City to your list of ‘must-visit’ places. Mexico City is the perfect place for solo travelers. As a digital nomad, Mexico City has been one of my favorite places to work remotely from, build community, and explore all the unique neighborhoods.
I originally planned to stay in Mexico City for one month but stayed for three months after seeing how much there was to explore. Mexico City is filled with endless things to experience, such as museums, galleries, parks, rooftops, and more.
With remote work becoming more popular by the day, it’s essential to find the perfect atmosphere to work remotely from. When I first started working from home, I ended up in a routine where I would work from bed, which proved not to be sustainable nor helpful for my mental health. Even with all the perks of working from home, leaving the house and creating separation between your work life and personal life is important.
There is no shortage of places to work from in Mexico City. From co-working spaces to hotel rooftops and even coffee shops, Mexico City has a lot to offer for digital nomads. I’m currently counting down the days until I return. Here are coffee shops you should check out within different neighborhoods of Mexico City.
1.Niddo
Niddo is a gorgeous cafe located in the Juarez neighborhood. The cafe is located on the corner and takes up two blocks of outside seating and a bar inside seating. Niddo Cafe has a bohemian-style vibe and offers an aesthetically pleasing location to work remotely from.
2.Blend Station
Blend Station is located in the Condesa neighborhood. Condessa is a trendy area in Mexico City that attracts many expats. Blend Station prides itself on serving high-quality Mexican Coffee. The shop offers plenty of indoor and outdoor seating and plenty of outlets at each table. The crowd at Blend Station is young and creative.
3.Panaderia Rosetta
I frequently visited Panaderia Rossesta when I lived in Mexico City. This cafe is located in Roma, another popular community in Mexico City for digital nomads. There’s usually about a 20-minute wait to get a table outside, but it’s worth it. Unfortunately, there isn’t any inside seating. The bakery also offers fresh-made goods, and I recommend trying the guava pastries as you work.
4.Cuhtli
This cafe is located in one of my favorite neighborhoods: Coyoacán. Coyoacán is further from Roma and Condessa, but it still offers an excellent authentic and local experience. The atmosphere is light, and the coffee is sourced locally. Once you spend the workday here, you can easily wander through Coyoacán and explore the markets and shops.
5.Almanegra Café
Almanegra Café is located in Roma Norte. This minimalist coffee shop offers a quiet and comfortable atmosphere and is an architectural gem. This coffee shop is frequently listed as one of the best, and it is easy to see why.
Featured image by Getty Images
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Adrian Marcel On Purpose, Sacrifice, And The 'Signs Of Life'
In this week's episode of xoMAN, host Kiara Walker talked with R&B artist Adrian Marcel, who opened up, full of heart and authenticity, about his personal evolution. He discussed his days transitioning from a young Bay Area singer on the come-up to becoming a grounded husband and father of four.
With honesty and introspection, Marcel reflected on how life, love, and loss have shaped the man he is today.
On ‘Life’s Subtle Signals’
Much of the conversation centered around purpose, sacrifice, and listening to life’s subtle signals. “I think that you really have to pay attention to the signs of life,” Marcel said. “Because as much as we need to make money, we are not necessarily on this Earth for that sole purpose, you know what I mean?” While he acknowledged his ambitions, adding, “that is not me saying at all I’m not trying to ball out,” he emphasized that fulfillment goes deeper.
“We are here to be happy. We are here [to] fulfill a purpose that we are put on here for.”
On Passion vs. Survival
Adrian spoke candidly about the tension between passion and survival, describing how hardship can sometimes point us away from misaligned paths. “If you find it’s constantly hurting you… that’s telling you something. That’s telling you that you’re going outside of your purpose.”
Marcel’s path hasn’t been without detours. A promising athlete in his youth, he recalled, “Early on in my career, I was still doing sports… I was good… I had a scholarship.” An injury changed everything. “My femur broke. Hence why I always say, you know, I’m gonna keep you hip like a femur.” After the injury, he pivoted to explore other careers, including teaching and corporate jobs.
“It just did not get me—even with any success that happened in anything—those times, back then, I was so unhappy. And you know, to a different degree. Like not just like, ‘I really want to be a singer so that’s why I’m unhappy.’ Nah, it was like, it was not fulfilling me in any form or fashion.”
On Connection Between Pursuing Music & Fatherhood
He recalled performing old-school songs at age 12 to impress girls, then his father challenged him: “You can lie to these girls all you want, but you're really just lying to yourself. You ain't growing.” That push led him to the piano—and eventually, to his truth. “Music is my love,” Marcel affirmed. “I wouldn’t be a happy husband if I was here trying to do anything else just to appease her [his wife].”
Want more real talk from xoMAN? Catch the full audio episodes every Tuesday on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and don’t miss the full video drops every Wednesday on YouTube. Hit follow, subscribe, and stay tapped in.
Featured image by xoNecole/YouTube
Colman Domingo’s Career Advice Is A Reminder That Our Words Shape Our Reality
When it comes to life, we are always here for a good reminder to shift our mindsets, and Colman Domingo just gave us one we didn't know we needed.
In a resurfaced clip from an appearance at NewFest shared as a repost via Micheaux Film Festival, the Emmy award winner dropped a gem on how he has navigated his decades-spanning career in Hollywood. The gem in question? Well, Colman has never identified with "struggle" in his career. Let that sit.
Colman Domingo On Not Claiming Struggle
"I’ve never said that this career was tough. I’ve never said it was difficult. I’ve never said it was hard," Colman said. "Other people would say that—‘oh, you're in a very difficult industry. It's very hard to get work and book work.’ I’m like, I’ve never believed that."
Instead of allowing himself to be defined by other people's projections about their perceptions of what the industry is or was, Colman dared to believe differently even if his reality was playing catch up with his dreams:
"Like Maya Angelou said words are things. And if you believe that, then that's actually what it is. Actually I've just never believed it. Someone told me some years ago, they said, 'I remember you were, you're a struggling actor.' I'm like, 'I don't.'"
"I wasn't attached to a struggle. I was attached to living..."
He continued:
"Even when I was bartending and hustling and not having opportunities or anything, I never believed that I was struggling because I wasn't attached to a struggle. I was attached to living and creating and being curious."
Colman’s philosophy of attaching to living instead of struggle has blossomed into an enduring career. He first made his mark on stage in acclaimed Broadway productions before transitioning to the screen, where his star began to rise in the 2010s following his role as Victor Strand in Fear The Walking Dead. From there, his presence only grew, landing memorable supporting roles in If Beale Street Could Talk, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, and the hit series Euphoria.
In more recent years, Colman has stepped fully into the spotlight with standout leading performances in Rustin and Sing Sing, both of which earned him widespread critical acclaim and Academy Award nominations for Best Actor.
With all that said, Colman's advice is no doubt powerful, especially for those who are chasing their dreams, building something from the ground up, or have question marks about what's next in their careers. Words shape our realities, and how we speak about our journeys even in passing matters.
Words Create Our Reality & Colman Is Living Proof
"I tell young people that. To remember the words that you say about yourself and your career are true. So, I choose to make it full of light and love and it's interesting and every day I'm going to learn something new even if it looks like I don't have what I want but it's important to be in the moment... you really build on the moments moment to moment.
"And you're looking back at your career as I've been in it for what 33 years and you're like, 'Wow, that's what I've been doing.' And I've stayed strong to that so I think that is truly my advice."
Let this be your sign to give your path a reframe. When the path you're on feels uncertain, the journey is still unfolding. Like Colman said: "I wasn't attached to a struggle. I was attached to living."
That's a Black king right there.
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Featured image by Soul Brother/Soul B Photos/Shutterstock